BOSTON, May 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Health Dialog, a leading provider of population health management solutions, announced today that Kern Health Systems (KHS) is offering its Nurse Line to members. Kern Family Health Care members now have immediate access to bilingual Registered Nurse (RN) Health Coaches 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Heightened quality in its nurse line has helped KHS achieve better health outcomes for its most vulnerable patient populations, supporting overall population health success.

Health Dialog's Nurse Line provides guidance and information to help people make informed decisions about their medical care and avoid unnecessary and costly emergency room visits. Using evidence-based clinical data, Registered Nurse Health Coaches assess the urgency of symptoms and direct members to the appropriate level of care for their condition. They also prepare members for physician visits, educate them about medication side effects and help them manage chronic conditions. Health Dialog's Nurse Line features immediate connection to bilingual nurses, access to live interpretation services in 200 languages, health information in multiple languages and at appropriate reading levels and TDD/TTY accessibility for hearing-impaired members.

"Health Dialog has deep experience working with vulnerable populations in California," said Irwin Harris, MD, Associate Medical Director at Kern Health Systems. "These members face unique challenges that could impact the effectiveness of a nurse line. Health Dialog's specially trained health coaches not only demonstrate keen understanding of culturally and financially diverse populations, they also provide evidence-based healthcare guidance in culturally competent ways. This has helped us take better care of our members who need extra support and played a pivotal role in the success of our population health program."

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has certified Health Dialog's Nurse Line since its inception. Members, who number in the millions, consistently endorse it; a 2016 member survey showed 93% of members said their health coach was friendly and helpful, and 90 percent would recommend the nurse line to family or friends.

"For two decades, Health Dialog has provided award-winning healthcare tools that help people make better health care choices," said Health Dialog CEO Web Golinkin. "Transcending language, cultural and income barriers, our nurse health coaches meet members exactly where they are, which engages them more effectively in their health care. Better engagement delivers better outcomes for members and their health plans."

About Health Dialog:Health Dialog is a leading provider of population health management solutions. The company works with the nation's largest third-party payers, employers and providers to improve the health and wellness of their members, employees and patients while reducing costs and improving performance in key quality measures, such as NCQA's HEDIS and CMS' Stars ratings. Health Dialog's unique capabilities include analytics, a patient portal, a multi-channel coaching platform, shared decision-making tools and a 24/7 nurse line. For more information, visit www.healthdialog.com. Health Dialog is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE: RAD).

About Kern Health Systems (KHS)Kern Health Systems (Local Initiative County Health Authority of Kern County) is a public entity and community-accountable health plan. Through its health plan, Kern Family Health Care, KHS provides healthcare coverage to over 248,000 Medi-Cal beneficiaries in Kern County. Kern Health Systems is a leader in developing new programs through innovative partnerships designed to provide quality healthcare to vulnerable populations and to support the safety nets of Kern County.